San Francisco's status as a "sanctuary city" should mean a cutoff of federal funds, congressional candidate State Sen. Tom McClintock said Tuesday.

"A local government that actively works to undermine our nation's security and sovereignty has no claim to our nation's resources and support," said McClintock, who made the statement in a speech in Sacramento during a rally by the Minutemen, a group concerned about illegal immigration and border security.

McClintock noted in a press release that San Francisco's policy, since changed, previously allowed illegal immigrants who were arrested and charged with felonies to be either allowed to apply for asylum or placed in a group home, rather than turned over to the federal government for deportation.

In one instance, an El Salvador native, Edwin Ramos, was not turned over to the government and has since been charged in the murder of a Bay Area man and his two sons.

McClintock said in the release that all such sanctuary cities should be cut off from federal aid until they comply with federal law.

A well-known conservative legislator, McClintock is running in the 4th Congressional District against Democrat Charlie Brown, from Roseville.